Comments 1,349

Re: PlayStation Is No Longer Officially Verified on Twitter

Robocod

@nessisonett I'm surprised people are taking his "paid for select accounts out of his own pocket"!!πŸ™„ The same guy who also claimed he would step down from running Twitter & then claimed the result was "rigged with bots"!!
Given his petty trolling,he likely ordered them kept verified....& keeping the $$ for his next prematurely exploded tax write off rocket!!πŸ˜‚

Ironically have noticed a surge of bot accounts on my "For You" timeline spamming "Congress going after foreign owned Sony & FTC trying to block Murican Microsoft, yeah!!"...type posts! πŸ™„
Still enjoy following retro & indie stuff on there,but getting harder to wade through the other stuff!

Re: Atari Has Acquired the Rights to One of PS1's Worst Ever Games

Robocod

@AndyKazama I think from what I'd seen on twitter they did tout having scope to create new/ rebooted versions alongside the original versions, it'd need something radical to set it apart from the other newer Bubsy games already out there.
Probably be cheaper to port the 2D ones over!πŸ€”

The irony I found was there's a new "Microprose" out there,(having bought the name),but seemingly this Atari now owns their most noteworthy IP's! πŸ™„πŸ˜…
Hardball/4th & Inches & Test Drive are all examples they could revisit/reboot as much as Bubsy though I doubt the younger players out there would even know about them,nevermind play them! They might’ve had Atari versions back in the day,but were also as common on other systems like C64,Amiga, & probably Apple too!

Re: Atari Has Acquired the Rights to One of PS1's Worst Ever Games

Robocod

A bit brushed over in the article,but the 100 retro titles cover old publishers like Accolade, Microprose, Infogrames etc. Seemingly ones this or one of the previous Atari iterations sold off but seemingly reacquired again....in tandem with their recent acquisition of Nightdive Studios.

As to how many end up on console as opposed to being on GOG with different publisher branding now time will tell.

Re: Media Molecule Co-Founder Exits Following Dreams' Live Support Stoppage

Robocod

Long CV with the likes of Bullfrog & Lionhead nevermind MM itself. Rather enjoyed LBP 1 & 2, both as a single & multiplayer platform experience but also the wonderous creations players came up with as DLC.πŸ‘Always a great shame they never got the ps4 remaster treatment.

Dreams was undoubtedly ambitious...just unfortunate that its included creations didn't really have the broader appeal of Little Big Planet's Sackboy & its platform action to accompany its creation tools.
Dreams sadly a bit more akin to something like the old C64 creation called SEUCK (Shoot-em-Up-Construction-Kit),by Sensible Software. Got some people started on games creation, but not necessarily a bigger wider general audience.

Mark also ironically had the occasional twitter video of what a C64 Little Big Planet demo might look like!πŸ€“
Guess time will tell if MM's next project will have a more live service/mtx orientation to it.πŸ˜•
Hopefully Mark Healy's creative talents are put to good use wherever they might go.

Re: Zool Redimensioned Brings Gremlin's 90s Ninja Icon to PS4

Robocod

@sanderson72 Seems to vary dev to dev but a theme that seemed common was a significant cost increase going from 16bit to 32bit & bigger staff/production increases etc.

Some of the older devs have started popping up on twitter etc. Eg: Graftgold's Andrew Braybrook has a blog/twitter,& Steve Turner a site talking about the mixed luck they had with publishers going bust & losing their most valuable IP's.
Andrew Braybrook has actually mentioned their ps1 port of Rainbow Islands was based off the Amiga version in how it was collated & has pondered a full blooded A1200 version might’ve been able to feature similar enhanced backgrounds!

Youtuber Kim Justice has done some great videos on others like Sensible Software & the like too!
Regarding Chris Sorrell of James Pond/Robocod fame,I believe he did a comic of sorts to do with Medievil's re-release on ps4 (he was involved with both games on ps1). He apparently did try a kickstarter at one point to license James Pond & do a new game but sadly fell well short & it was cancelled.

Unfortunately IP rights seem all over the place. Codemasters apparently picked up Sensible's catalogue a few years ago,(no idea if that means they're EA's now!πŸ˜•) Read on Push Square Rebellion has Bitmap Bros.,& lord knows with others...System 3 I think were involved as Publisher for the Robocod Switch port but they seem a shadow of their former selves these days.

That said,have seen on the retro circles retro systems like Evercade seem to have picked up re-releasing some for their cartridges. (Or the A500 mini)

@YorkieDevil Tend to stick to WinUAE these days, but some games definitely benefit from joystick control vs a modern gamepad!πŸ‘

Re: Zool Redimensioned Brings Gremlin's 90s Ninja Icon to PS4

Robocod

@BeerIsAwesome One thing back in the Amiga era at least was most of those games mentioned you had the item as a power up or bonus etc.

Still have nightmares from my games retail days having leftover unwanted promotional cans of "V Energy" drink for PS3/360 era COD Modern Warfare where we had bucketloads of preorders.
Would drink some to stay awake for Midnight launches of COD & other big titles,struggle to get to sleep at 2am or so thereafter & then need a couple to try be awake for a 7.30/8am early pick-up the same morning!!πŸ€ͺ😱 Gimmie digital lucozade/chupa chumps any day!

Re: Zool Redimensioned Brings Gremlin's 90s Ninja Icon to PS4

Robocod

@BeerIsAwesome Seem to vaguely recall Robocod on PS2 (& more recently ported to Switch),missing the Penguin collectables,(which I think was related to a UK biscuit brand or something)?πŸ€” Seem to recall puzzle game Pushover also used a chip brand too?

@Batesy125s Yep,some great ones on Amiga,(& indeed C64 further back),James Pond/Robocod, Fire & Ice,(or other Graftgold stuff like Paradroid 90 & the rock hard Uridium 2), Cannon Fodder, obviously we did see the Turrican Games get ported...Ruff'n'Tumble was a great platform blaster too! Still reckon Speedball 2 would be great fun so long as they didn't spoil it with mobile like graphics I'd seen of other ports of it,keep it to the classical style!πŸ‘

Re: Capcom Fans Split Over What Classic Game Should Be Remade Next

Robocod

@rpawlos15133 Yep,loved its spiritual ties to the Ghosts'n'Goblins series,but had its own little touches...always remember the first skeleton soldier going "one,two,hup!",until you interrupted! πŸ˜‚
Hard as granite,tag teamed with my old school buddy to try reduce some of the hair tearing moments....but was a blast!

Kept hoping it'd reach the PS2 Classics range on PS4,unfortunately with that emulation range seemingly not compatible on PS5, they've seemingly abandoned making any new/updated PS2 Classics on PS Deluxe/Premium which is a crying shame!

Re: Sony Is Acting Unfairly Against Xbox in Japan, US Congress Members Say

Robocod

Those Microsoft political "donations" are undoubtedly greasing palms much like the same way you keep seeing school massacres & no action for the same reasons.

Microsoft are drumming the "USA,USA!" flag to justify their buying up the 3rd party AAA studios, bankrolling Gamepass & indie timed exclusives (& let's not forget games like Octopath traveller never seeing light of day after an extended Gamepass stay),& want to buy up the Japanese publishers if they get half a chance.

They are exercising their Microsoft piggy bank to buy up existing AAA 3rd parties to remove sequels & new IP's from Sony platforms (Redfall etc.),spending billions whilst insisting their smaller sized opposition come up with in house alternatives!

But if they're not allowed to buy them up,then create the scare campaign they'll fall into foreign hands for the arms race they've very much initiated under "Gaming for all" Phil Spencer.πŸ™„

Re: UK Regulator No Longer Concerned About Activision Buyout's Impact on Console Competition

Robocod

Whilst the twitter bots,acolytes & their gaming press buddies will be cheering from the rafters, it doesn't detract that Microsoft buying up the entire Activision Blizzard catalogue & making it exclusive & quietly killing off multiformat releases just like they did with Zenimax will be good for gamers.

They won't stop there. Again,insists Sony can make their own COD alternative whilst spending 70 billion to buy COD,Diablo,Starcraft,Crash, etc., rather than make its own IP.πŸ™„

Re: U.S. Senator Says Sony Has 'Monopoly' on High-End Japanese Game Market

Robocod

The irony that (as far as I'm aware,not US person here),it was after the administration change to the current President/government that the new FTC admin actually took an interest in investigating after years of monopolies like Disney,Google Amazon, Microsoft etc.,being able to get bigger & use their monopoly unchecked!

But like most other things there,powerful "lobbying"/donations to the political overlords & ignorance of the games industry sadly means Microsoft has a long reach financially. There's already been the scare campaign of "Activision could be bought by Tencent!",when the reality is Activision shareholders really need to cut the deadweight Bobby Kotick management team rather than give them Microsoft funded golden parachutes to cash out.

Its no different than little indie Microsoft claiming Sony can make their own COD whilst spending 70 billion to buy up COD & undoubtedly repeat what they did with Zenimax & cancel any in development Playstation games & make COD exclusive as soon as they're able to. πŸ˜•

Re: Atari to Acquire Retro Restoration Specialists Nightdive Studios

Robocod

@pip_muzz This exactly! Makes you wonder if Atari MkV approached them first & knocked back.

Whereas Nightdive had to essentially had to budget a reboot of their botched System Shock kickstarter,& other recent missteps like trying to fix up the Blade Runner ports,(which got refused classification down under on console & seemingly Nightdive never bothered trying to appeal or adjust & refused to acknowledge on twitter etc.).

They have proven they can do a quality job,but maybe recent projects left them a bit more vulnerable to a buyout?πŸ€”
Given this current Atari MkV,(or whatever it is from OG & Tramiel Atari),have offloaded some of its past IP pick-ups,it curious just what the previously independent Nightdive will be able to work on?

Surely can't just be 2600/7800 remakes?

Re: Vampire FPS Redfall Was in Development for PS5, But Was Canned After Xbox Buyout

Robocod

Exhibit A of Microsoft's/Xbox definition of hypocrisy & what adding Activision Blizzard & any further AAA publishers to a monopoly is a bas idea.

Still defies logic how Sony's been singled out for "timed exclusives are anti-gamer" Gamer Phil, but permanently blocking previously 3rd party AAA publishers,devs & IP's are okay if they're the struggling 2 trillion plus Indie monopoly Microsoft Xbox because in their own submissions to authorities they weren't coming up with enough in-house exclusives so they should be allowed to paywall the 3rd party ones instead!!πŸ™„

The irony they're claiming Sony could make their own COD but are spending 70 billion just to buy the AAA publisher that makes it instead of expanding Halo/Gears or making their own COD exposes everything you need to know about their behaviour!

Re: Action RPG Hunt the Night Set to Slay Evil on PS5 and PS4

Robocod

@wiiware Unfortunately Eastward is a bit of a moot point for comparison for PS owners! Chucklefish the publisher recently hyped up a gamepass/XB port,but remain unenthusiastic/ mute on twitter posts regarding PS4/5 versions like they have on most of their current works. πŸ˜•

Its a shame as it looks interesting,but like the detective one Loco Motive in the works, suspect I'll just sit on eventually trying it on PC.

Hope this plays as nicely as it looks! Apparently been in development since 2019,& no fixed dates on the console ports,but seemingly been working on modes like new game plus based off previous demo feedback.πŸ€”

Again,if the final product comes out as playing as nicely as the trailer,the waiting will hopefully be worth it.

Re: Best GTA Games

Robocod

PS2 era GTA remains the best GTA IMHO. (Enjoyed original top down GTA on ps1,though it obviously aged). Never quite jelled with GTA IV, Nico just didn't appeal enough to stick with it...unlike RDR 1 & John Marston which i couldn't put down!

GTA V changed things around with the triple protagonists...but have never liked,(just like RDR 2),how they baked monetisation in for the cashcow that became the online mode with the stock market mechanism...which puts me firmly in the minority,I know!πŸ˜…

Would place GTA LCS over GTA 3,if only as getting mowed down for passing through past areas in GTA 3 waa a pain in the butt.

Vice City & VCS will remain my favourites for soundtracks & atmosphere,(albeit Vic Vance not quite as appealing character vs Vercetti or CJ). San Andreas just behind Vice City,just those dreaded RC missions were truly nightmare fuel only matched passing the "schools" for cars, planes & boats!

Nitpicking aside,they parodied the 80's & 90s so well,not to mention other games etc. You just wanted to cruise around to hear the DJ chatter & music.πŸ‘
Its a shame Take-two & Rockstar think so little of their single player era the Trilogy was offloaded (& one suspects probably RDR would've been too),to the likes of Grove Street Games who were woefully out of their depth & should've been handled in-house.

Re: Sigh! For the Record, Sony Is Not Making a Superman PS5 Exclusive

Robocod

Microsoft/XB really want to go down the "they got Spiderman!!",exclusive rabbit hole? What the same one that Disney offered them first & apparently rejected?!πŸ™„
And since Gamer Phil keeps espousing through the Twitter bots & games news sites of their "spreading to more gamers" mantra PR Blitz, that means Indiana Jones will get an all platforms release....or will that be another "indie" title like Starfield,Elders Scrolls,Redwall etc ,Phil?πŸ™„

Again,the hypocrisy of MS/XB to say buying up the major AAA Publishers & cherry pick what IP's if any get released elsewhere,(with most releases going exclusive),is "competition" when the reality is its removing future games off their main competitor & is bankrolled by a parent company well known for its monopolistic practices defies belief of its true motives.πŸ˜•

Re: Rumour: PS5 Pro Targeting Potential 2024 Release

Robocod

As others have noted,unless there's some sort of compelling TV tech complimenting things,it would seem unlikely.
Given that the PC GFX card market remains largely focused on the high end,(with only Intel going a bit more midrange),anything new would be potentially passing the ps3 launch price highwater mark.
PS5 redesigns to increase margins make far more sense at this point...maybe even increase base storage capacity slightly?πŸ€”

Not impossible to see an upgrade at some point, but seems a reach atm. Nevermind the on/off rumours that Series S is giving 3rd parties some headaches already.

Re: Tintin Reporter - Cigars of the Pharoah Uncovers Adventure of Epic Proportions on PS5, PS4

Robocod

@belmont Tintin in Tibet!!😲 That's right,my bad! Never played them,so just going off watching some longplays! Recall a 3d driving bit with Captain Haddock in Prisoners of the Sun?πŸ€”

Loved Tintin in Tibet with Captain losing most of precious whiskey supplies until the Yeti pinched the last bottle on him!!πŸ˜‚ As always like spraying himself with bug spray,battling sticky plaster,claiming Cuthbert Calculus to be acting the goat,always waa his own worst enemy!!πŸ˜…
"But had a loyalty that would move mountains".

Yep,guess they wanted to keep things focused on Tintin with the Cigars scenario...fingers crossed they still manage a decent game.🀞

Re: Tintin Reporter - Cigars of the Pharoah Uncovers Adventure of Epic Proportions on PS5, PS4

Robocod

The best looking,& rare Tintin adventures I'd seen on the internet/YouTube was I think a couple of Infogrames EU territories only efforts on Megadrive & Snes,think it was Seven Crystal Balls & Prisoners of the Sun? Visually looked the goods, but apparently rock hard even by 16bit platform action game standards! Possiblely MD had both games but Snes only got one.πŸ€”

Given the book its based off,likely no Captain Haddock,as he didn't appear til Crab with the Golden Claws,I think?

Re: Resident Evil 4 PS5 Remake Spoilers Are Rife As Retailers Break Street Date

Robocod

@Arnna Yep,I'm one of those Resident Evil traditionalists that took ages slowly clearing areas out of zombies in the originals,(only for hunters or lickers to then clear out later!😱).
Need to get back to RE 2 remake,but like RE 1 remake quite the adjustment to concepts like crimson zombies & needing to dash past areas!
Nevermind Mr X's increased presence!!

Re: Resident Evil 4 PS5 Remake Spoilers Are Rife As Retailers Break Street Date

Robocod

@Zuljaras πŸ˜‚ I'll always remember playing the ps2 version & after defeating various mega bosses like in the castle or beyond & kept thinking, okay this must be getting close to the finish,& nope a whole new section would happen!
Nevermind keeping a save around a previous merchant location just in case I upgraded the wrong weapon ahead of the boss encounter!

Hope the ps4 version manages to hold up against the new gen ones!

Re: Sony Concerned Microsoft Could, Knowingly or Not, Sabotage Call of Duty on PlayStation

Robocod

Typically Microsoft to answer in their usual PR speak...their bots have been busy as have seen reports on other sites wherein they claim to be making PS Plus more "competitive"...what by removing AAA publishers like Zenimax Bethesda & now Activision Blizzard & their future games from PS platforms & tying them to ganepass?!πŸ™„

Or where noted Xbox biased reporter Tom Warren having widely circulated twitter exchange with the Activision exec Lulu that's been running the anti Sony rhetoric stating Jim Ryan's answer to wanting to block the deal vs negotiating with Microsoft in allegedly "secret" exchanges to the regulatory authorities... not the first time the same Activision who were fine doing exclusive console marketing dlc deals until Bobby Kotick's mismanagement came to light & his execs went to Microsoft for a golden parachute bailout.

Gamepass only exists in its current format as Microsoft are bankrolling it...if they get the kind of dominance they have in other markets don't expect that to last.

Re: Xbox Execs Eager to Save Call of Duty Fans from PS5, PS4 Exclusive Perks

Robocod

@Rob_230 As I mentioned the other day,not only does "Gamer" Phil get a free pass from his acolytes & certain gaming media when they parrot his "Sony is anti gamer" & the only ones who engage in 3rd party timed exclusives narrative.

Not only do they ignore history of 360 era MS/Xbox,but even under Phil's watch games like Tomb Raider,& Gamepass timed exclusives where PS versions didn't appear until months later eg: Carrion,Death's Door & we never saw Octopath Traveller!

Likewise his laughable hypocrisy when he claims his "game by game",promises prior to the Zenimax Bethesda buyout never meant Starfield, Elder Scrolls, or other future releases would ever be coming to PS5 when anything not inked in a Sony contract was cancelled.

"Gamer" Phil Spencer who decries timed 3rd party deals yet literally has been forking out billions to paywall 3rd party AAA publishers & IP's exclusively behind Gamepass/Xbox because its easier to remove competition rather than invest same billions into creating their own!πŸ™„

Re: European Union Likely to Pass Xbox's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision

Robocod

Yep,wish I could say I'm surprised,but when you're dealing with governmental authorities inexperience in the subject,(in this case the games industry),& politics are a bad mix.

Microsoft being a multi trillion company have far reach in several areas,whether OS,Cloud etc. Keeping in mind companies like Facebook, Amazon & co.,have grown into megacorps.

For "Gamer" Phil & co.,to suggest the Ninty deal is a sign of their good intentions when Activision ignored Switch as unprofitable shows how shoddy the whole exercise is.

Zenimax Bethesda buyout showed how quickly Xbox moved to make previously 3rd party IP's & studios exclusive. Microsoft have openly argued that their previous exclusives ala Halo,Gears, Fable,Forza weren't enough so as they should be allowed to buy up as many 3rd party AAA publishers & IP's until it can shut out Sony.

Much like the line in Revenge of the Sith, undoubtedly to the thunderous applause of thousands of Xbots....at least til they find they'll only be able to rent games!πŸ™„

Re: Sony Must Share Details of Exclusivity Deals with Microsoft in FTC's Court Hearing

Robocod

Not that they'll happen,but since Microsoft is suddenly so interested in disclosures,it'd be interesting to see a comparative breakdown not only of what they pay to different publishers on gamepass deals but also any exclusivity they might stipulate that's been part of their inclusion- since Phil Spencer keeps pushing the narrative its only Sony.
Likewise,a full disclosure on how much Microsoft has bankrolled gamepass to undercut rival services,as pretty sure if the Xbox division were sold off as a separate entity,(or they come to dominate the console scene like they do Operating Systems & cloud & other services), you could kiss those $1 upgrade deals goodbye!

Unfortunately,always felt M$ will ultimately get away with the deal,but its bad for gaming when a 2trillion plus revenue company can keep buying up all the major 3rd party AAA publishers it wants just to keep them off rival platforms whilst crying foul about "competition",when its company history has been a catalogue of monopoly dominance!πŸ˜•

Re: Yes, Sony Helped Optimise Final Fantasy 16 for PS5

Robocod

@4kgk2 well when you have the same acolytes preach "Gamer" Phil Spencer's latest COD DLC for all nonsensical statements claiming timed exclusives "are not we're about",& yet Xbox have used the corporate credit card literally spending billions on Zenimax Bethesda & Activision to keep future 3rd party IP's permanently off Playstation says all you to know about their logic!πŸ™„πŸ˜‚

Re: Sony Somehow Screwed Up The Legend of Dragoon on PS5, PS4

Robocod

Its a shame that for all the dev studio start-ups & purchases of PC & Mobile dev studios by Sony that a similar effort to set up a studio dedicated to PS Classics/making definitive software ps1/ps2 emulated games run as well or better than those created by the home brew emulators.

Sadly unlike upcoming live service games it just isn't seen as a money maker by the bean counters despite the fact the legacy PS library would be a great selling point.πŸ˜•

Re: Sony Has No Console Exclusivity Over Baldur's Gate 3

Robocod

@Rob_230 Been finding it a bit rich for Xbox owners crying foul or accusing Sony of double standards "buying exclusivity" when they've been buying up Zenimax Bethesda,InExile & Obsidian & cornering the vast majority of the western rpg market!πŸ™„

Agree regarding Octopath Traveller though I think it only just recently left Gamepass? It'd be nice to see the first game get a shadowdrop but who knows if the gamepass deal didn't exclude a PS version being developed at the time...look how long it took the original Mass Effect took to come to PS3,back in the day!

Re: Xbox Series X|S Is Getting Trounced by PS5, Microsoft Weirdly Reveals

Robocod

Microsoft/XB: We haven't been able to manage 90%+ dominance like we do with Windows on PC despite Forza,Halo,Gears,& buying up all the Zenimax Bethesda IP's & cornering most of those western rpg devs dammit! So we should be able to keep buying up as many other AAA publishers & IP's to keep 'em off Playstation as we want!πŸ™„

Funny how all those Gamepass metrics which include PC's & Xcloud etc.,don't get an airing here or Gamer Phil's aspirations to push for billions of gamepass subs like they truly intend to chase cornering the major 3rd party IP's like this.πŸ˜‚
So suddenly Xbox sales matter again despite their insistence actual unit sales didn't matter since the XB 360 era!

Re: New PS1 Classics Can Be Bought Off the PS Store

Robocod

@Shepherd_Tallon Hasn't been that many 3rd party psp/ps1 classics thus far,most of the Sony published ones seem to release with an option to purchase regardless of your PS Plus level.

The main exceptions I'd seen were Bandai Namco tying Tekken 2 behind Deluxe/Prwmium & sadly Capcom with Resident Evil...whilst the latter apparently can be purchased via ps3 & be added to your ps4/5 library,never saw Dino Crisis on the EU/AU PS3 store,so I fear if it ever arrives it'll be subscription only!πŸ˜•

Re: PS1 Classic The Legend of Dragoon Does Indeed Have Trophies on PS5, PS4

Robocod

@Ralizah Guess we'll find out in due course but ps1/psp classics like Hots Shots Golf etc.,have generally appeared on the new releases around $15 down under psn region...ironically despite a scornful tweet from one of the original Tekken devs on the initial $999 price tag of Tekken 2, its Namco Bandai & Capcom classic titles that are unavailable to buy on ps4/5 unless you subscribe to Premium/Deluxe or via ps3.

Re: Microsoft Admits Xbox Game Pass Is Harming Software Sales After All

Robocod

@Rob_230 Not forgetting the other often repeated hypocritical lie heavily pushed on gaming news sites & socials of "Sony pays to keep games off gamepass!",whilst conveniently overlooking several indie games appearing on gamepass as timed exclusives with PS versions months later (if at all),or ones like Octpath Traveller never appearing,(yet here PS is getting the sequel!).

Or how Bethesda RPG's suddenly went from AAA to being more akin to niche market indie titles when they successfully making their case to Brazilian authorities,justifying the lack of future Elder Scrolls,or planned PS Starfield versions etc!πŸ™„

Re: Microsoft Admits Xbox Game Pass Is Harming Software Sales After All

Robocod

This is a slur,an outrage!😱 Gamer Phil would NEVER lie!!πŸ€―πŸ˜‹
I mean,Bobby Kotick & his Activision cohorts have been quite vocal recently advocating for the Xbox buyout & gamepass growing the Activision player base but for that dastardly Sony paying for marketing & timed exclusive dlc rights (& Bobby Kotick's 3rd mansion in the Bahamas)! 🀣
Yet in private,no surprise like Take-two with GTA, they rather like premium price points & premium live services to go with it!!πŸ˜‚

@get2sammyb Lost count of the times I've seen indie game launch announcements on twitter & Xbox players insisting they'll play it..."so long as it comes to gamepass"...the narrative/delusion is very real as is the disbelief that Microsoft's bankrolling of Gamepass & the AAA publisher buyouts aren't about muscling Sony out its current gaming space.

Competition is good for gamers as is choice. Not a great fan of Playstation's disdain for services like its lack of classics range & cheap emulation efforts of ps1/2 etc.,gaming accessibility.

But when you're old enough to remember the Computer & OS wars & Microsoft's bully boy tactics then,& compare how much more invasive their services like Windows 11 are,it serves as a warning that big corporates are not your friend, & be even more wary when they desperately want deals like Activision Blizzard to go through!

Re: Bobby Kotick Says Sony Is 'Trying to Sabotage' Microsoft's Activision Bid

Robocod

"Sony's trying to sabotage this deal!!"
Says the genius who took Blizzard from a "it'll be released when its done",to releasing bugfests like Warcraft 3 remastered?
From reducing Activision from a multi faceted publisher to being a largely one trick (albeit massive cashcow),in Call of Duty & was quite happy to receive the timed exclusive dlc pay checks from Xbox/MS then undoubtedly even bigger ones from Sony since the start of the ps4 generation?
The same genius who happily cull hundreds of employees if it meant protecting his precious bonus & 2023 home Sauna & spa extension?
The genius who drove the multi billion Activision Blizzard reputation & share price into such a vulnerable position due to years of mismanagement,& cover-ups that the current board gladly took the gold watch retirement package funded by Phil Spencer's corporate credit card?

It'd almost be funny to compare "Gamer" Phil's carefully curated "gaming for all,game by game" rhetoric prior to the Zenimax Bethesda buyout where both parties were at great pains to emphasise Xbox/MS had no direct control or influence in operations until the deal passed regulators & was finalised....but in contrast Activision Blizzard has acted like its already a wholly owned division of M$!πŸ™„

Re: UK Determines Xbox's $69 Billion Activision Buyout Could Harm Gamers

Robocod

@Bionic-Spencer Yep,after "Gamer" Phil Spencer's pre-purchase promises of Zenimax "game by game",& quickly axing titles like Starfield,Elder Scrolls & anything else not inked in pre existing contracts,it's niave in the extreme to believe Xbox/Microsoft wouldn't exercise the same behaviour with all the backlog of IP's in Activision Blizzard's closet!

Saw an article on Kotaku AU where Bobby Kotick again trying to tie TV show spin-offs & the number of successful single player games that Sony & Nintendo have created equals a monopoly that must be stopped by little old Indie start-up Microsoft,USA,USA,USA!πŸ™„

How Xbox's "failure" to spread beyond Forza, Halo, Fable,Gears of War, somehow justifies their buying up all the 3rd party publishers & their back catalogue of IP's just to prevent their appearance on rival platforms is considered competitive?

The current Activision board are just looking for a nice gold watch retirement package to make up for their blundering mismanagement.

Re: Activision Blizzard Exec Says Last of Us HBO Proves Microsoft Acquisition Should Go Ahead

Robocod

I'm sorry,did I miss the part where Sony has deep pockets in having dominated the PC Operating system scene for decades now, has transitioned its dominance in its Office suite to mostly being subscription based (vs buying it outright anymore),nevermind its presence in Azure/Cloud services?πŸ€”πŸ™„

There's been a couple or more Halo spin-offs, so by her standards shouldn't that rule them out too?!πŸ˜…
The "Xbox/Microsoft is just a small indie startup" is getting a bit ridiculous...this is all about getting Bobby Kotick's management tanking Activision's value bailed out on a nice Microsoft funded golden parachute.πŸ™„

Re: Actress Annie Wersching, Who Played Tess in The Last of Us, Has Passed Away

Robocod

Not that I totally disliked the Anna Torv version but the OG game version was the best version wherein Annie's version depicted her as a rightly feared & respected badass to then flipping that entirely on its head when insisting Joel complete the task & take Ellie to Bill & Frank's,with that emotive speech teasing but never revealing the true nature of their past together.

Part of me would've liked to have seen a prequel or dlc explore that backstory further though much like Anakin in the Star Wars prequels it would've had an inevitable dark finale so possibly for the best we didn't find out.

In any case,the definitive Tess & way too young. Cancer can bugger off. RIP & thank you Annie.

Re: Skull and Bones Delayed Yet Again as Ubisoft Cancels Three Games

Robocod

Ubisoft: We've delayed Skull & Bones slightly to polish the look of the water...noone will have better looking water than Skull & Bones!!πŸ˜‹πŸ˜‚

Also Ubisoft Exec 1: Why aren't people buying our samey live service games...are we out of touch?
Executive 2: Just Dance & Mario+Rabbids had single player modes,didn't they? Why waste $$ on that? We'll tell 'em they can make their own stories up online,especially when there's not much else to do in those open world fetch quests!πŸ™„πŸ˜‚

Heaven forbid for the days when they made games like the Splinter Cell series,or Beyond Good & Evil,or Rayman etc.,that actually focused on a good story or were fun to play,rather than online grindfests!πŸ™„

Re: Soapbox: More Publishers, Including PlayStation, Should Celebrate Their Catalogues Like Atari 50

Robocod

There's absolutely scope for having multiple editions of ps1,ps2 etc era anthologies & having historical anecdotes would be icing on the cake.

Likewise you could say the same for other companies...eg: a Capcom one with the Resident Evil series,or their RPG's,or Ghosts'n'Goblins series into the Maximo ones....

Unfortunately,one only has to look at the PS Classic,or more recently PS Deluxe wherein there's been no effort to overhaul the basic, buggy ps2 classics on ps4 emulation & add further games,& just a handful of mostly lacklustre psp/ ps1 games....current management are mostly interested in expanding to live service games or remasters tied into TV/movie spin-offs.

When they throw crumbs of poor effort emulation that don't sell well,it perfectly serves their argument "it isn't popular"....would be nice if instead of splashing out for mobile game devs they spent the money on a legacy game/emulation studio that concentrated on bringing ps1/ps2 (even ps3),era games back with the sort of emulation/love to details they deserve!